After two years of delays and production snags, Tesla has finally handed the first Blade Runner-esque Cybertrucks over to customers.
Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk delivered a handful of vehicles Thursday at Tesla’s Austin headquarters to their new owners, including Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. The handovers were part of a live-streamed launch event on X, the social media platform Musk owns.
The vehicles will start at $60,990, excluding savings, which Tesla estimates could take the purchase price down to $49,890. The battery range for those rear-wheel drive Cybertrucks, available in 2025, is 250 miles. The most expensive of the three models, the so-called Cyberbeast, will reach up to 320 miles and be available next year.
“We have a car that experts said was impossible,” Musk said. “Finally, the future will look like the future.”
The Cybertruck marks Tesla’s first entry into the highly competitive pickup truck market in the US, and the move has been met with excitement, but also heavy criticism and doubt. One analyst suggested last week the automaker should cancel the Cybertruck altogether because it’s unlikely to be profitable, while Musk himself has lamented how “insanely difficult” the vehicle is to produce.
But the CEO said on Thursday he’s confident it would meet buyers’ needs, whether they be flash or utility. The Cybertruck is “a better truck than truck while also being a better sports car than a sports car,” Musk said to the audience.
He touted that it was quiet to drive, had shatter-proof glass and a bullet-proof stainless steel exterior. Cybertrucks can tow up to 11,000 pounds and have a 2,500-pound payload capacity.
The company’s calculation of estimated savings includes federal tax credits and estimated gas savings over three years. Tesla shares closed down 1.7% Thursday.
